The magic of Christmas is real in Macon! Have you dreamed of a Hallmark Christmas? Strolling the streets of downtown Macon and Mercer Village this season will feel like stepping foot in the cinema.
Here are two of the places where you can feel the magic of a vacation in Macon over the next few weeks.
Starting Nov. 25 at 6 p.m., more than 500,000 lights will cover the streets of downtown Macon, synchronized to the music of Macon Pops. This is the sixth year for the Macon Christmas Light Showpresented by Northway Church, and it continues to draw crowds from across the state.
Shows will take place nightly from 6-10 p.m. through January 1, with each hour-long show beginning at the top of the hour. The Macon Christmas Light Extravaganza is free and open to the public.
Save the date for these special events during the Macon Christmas Light Show:
Learn more about the light show by following @maconchristmaslights on Instagram.
Mercer Village will be extra festive starting this week. The annual Light More Homes exhibit, which benefits Macon Area Habitat for Humanity, will be unveiled during a program at 5:30 p.m. on November 17. The winners of the student programming contest, in which local students synchronized lights with different holiday songs, will be announced at the event.
With a canopy of icicles displayed above the streets, a lighted pedestrian arch, snowmobiles, tall light-up Christmas trees, and more, you’re bound to have a great time enjoying this light show. The display will feature two multi-colored computer-controlled trees synchronized to the music as well as an interactive “mega tree” courtesy of the Mercer IT Department.
Additionally, Candy Cane Lane will span Mercer’s Stadium Drive this year and feature 180 trees wrapped in red and white lights.
Finally, students, faculty, staff and their families are invited to a winter wonderland event with winter and holiday-themed activities at Mercer Village from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. on December 8.
The Light More Homes exhibit at Mercer Village will run nightly from 6-10 p.m. until January 7.
]]>If, on the other hand, a loan meets all of your requirements, there are a few things you can do to boost the likelihood that you will be approved for the loan.
The first step toward getting approved is to become familiar with your credit history. Even if you are certain that your credit is in perfect standing, you should still check it.
Who, if anyone, can you put your faith in more than you do yourself? Are you positive that there are no mistakes in the report that you created?
As you can see, there are a lot of preparations to make before submitting an application. Then you should get your schoolwork done. If this is not the case, there is no way to improve the likelihood of being accepted.
Or perhaps you were required to pay a security deposit to the business that supplies your electricity.
There are probably a few different reasons why you are aware of the fact that you have terrible credit. It turns out that wasn’t the conclusion, which is fantastic news. You have options to consider as long as you maintain an accurate score during the game.
The variety of loans includes personal loans with installment payments, loans for a limited period of time, loans for a vehicle or a home, and so on. In light of this, regardless matter how quickly you require a loan despite having poor credit, the process starts with your score.
“I need a loan quickly, but I have bad credit” is one of the words that is heard the most frequently nowadays.
You might unexpectedly need a loan, but you shouldn’t let it get you down. When it comes to loans for poor credit, assistance is available.
If you have a credit score of 550 and are looking for a personal loan, your first thought could be to approach a conventional bank for assistance. However, because of your poor credit, you are looking for more flexible requirements to meet in order to qualify.
The difficulty is that the list of options also includes advances on future paychecks and loans taken out against retirement savings. Your range of options is, therefore, quite broad.
First of all, try not to stress. There is a large number of financial institutions that concentrate on assisting clients who have low credit.
Second, you need to be aware of the factors that contributed to your low credit score and show that you are prepared to improve it.
If a lender advertises that they do not do credit checks, this means that they will not request your credit report from any of the major credit bureaus.
Even if there are many lenders who are willing to provide personal loans to individuals who are in need of them, it might be difficult to choose one. Having poor credit is not necessarily a deal breaker when it comes to obtaining a loan, despite the fact that every lender has its own set of rules and requirements regarding payments.
In a situation where every second counts, there is no time to consider even hundreds of potential lenders and make a choice between them. It’s possible that you won’t like it, but the process of getting approval takes some time. Get ready to sit and wait.
If you’ve applied for a loan in the past and it was denied to you, but you want to try again, there are a few things you can do to improve your chances of having your application accepted this time. Your first step should be to check your credit score, and then you should correct any errors that could be dragging it down. Next, focus on improving your credit score by minimizing the amount of your available credit that you use and meeting all of your financial obligations on time. You might also try applying for a loan that requires you to have a cosigner or security in place. If you are still having trouble getting accepted for funding, you might want to look into alternative funding options like personal loans or lending between individuals, such as peer-to-peer lending. Compare your alternatives carefully to determine which one offers the most favorable terms and conditions before making a decision.
When you are denied a loan, it is natural to feel disheartened and to believe that there is no longer any chance of success. It is essential that you bear in mind, however, that getting denied for a loan does not always mean that you will never be able to receive another one in the future. You have the ability to boost your chances of being granted authorization the second time around by taking a few specific steps. The first thing you should do is look over your credit report and score. You need to contact the credit bureau in order to dispute any errors. In addition to this, you should make an attempt to clear any outstanding obligations that are owed to you. Because of this, your credit score will improve, which will make you a more appealing candidate for a loan. Last but not least, do some shopping around for financial institutions that are willing to work with clients who have credit that is less than flawless. If you follow these procedures, you will be well on your way to getting an application for a loan accepted.
]]>And just like that, Summit County’s four ski areas have opened for the 2022-23 ski and touring season. After patiently watching Summit County’s three other ski areas host opening days for the past few weeks, Copper Mountain Resort kicked off its 50th anniversary season on Monday, November 14.
Despite being the last resort to open for the season in Summit County, excitement for Copper’s season couldn’t be higher as people waited for the American Eagle Chair to start running for the first time this season.
Leading the way were several extraordinary first chairs, including Darren “Disco Darren” Droge and Ski Funk. The duo missed the first chair at Arapahoe Basin Ski Area Opening Day in October, but managed to get the first chair at Copper.
Joining Droge and Ski Funk was Leadville resident Cameron Carpenter, who had been queuing with his friends since 10 a.m. Sunday.
Kicking off a 50th anniversary season is exciting enough, but skiers and boarders got even more excited for the season when they saw Copper received 4-5 inches of fresh snowfall overnight.
“It was great because we had a bit of snow last night and it always adds to the energy,” said Copper President and CEO Dustin Lyman. “It’s so much fun to open to the public because now we’re doing the same thing every day until April. We’re really looking forward to it. It’s the 50th year, it’s a big year for us. It’s going to be fun.
Once at the top of the American Eagle lift, skiers and snowboarders were treated to a plethora of open terrain and a mountaintop terrain park. With American Eagle, Excelerator, EZ Rider and Pitchfork lifts all in operation for opening day, guests of all skill levels had options when it came to powder.
John Marshall of Denver was one of the first dozen chairs on the mountain and was especially looking forward to the powder on a day off.
“It’s the first day of the season,” Marshall said of why he made the early morning drive from Denver to Copper. “They got 4 inches of fresh snow. It’s a beautiful day and I’m not working.
Marshall came with his family to Copper’s opening day for their first day of skiing of the 2022-23 season.
“It’s our first day of the season,” Marshall said. “We’re coming to Copper, we have a spot here and we wanted to be here for day one, especially since it’s the 50th anniversary.”
With a new season underway, Marshall and his family were eager to slice through the few inches of fresh snow.
“I just want to float in powder,” Marshall said.
Carpenter was blown away by the quality of the opening day snow as he descended back to the center of the village.
“It was awesome.” said Charpentier. “We couldn’t really have asked for better snow on the first day. It started snowing when we settled in and woke up to a nice layer of powder on us. It’s great to do the new turns there. First chair of the day. It was totally worth it.
Carpenter hopes powder days will be common throughout the season.
“With the amount of rain we’ve had this summer, I’m just hoping for powder days,” Carpenter said. “Based on the snow we’ve had so far, I think it’s going to be a very good year. This is what I look forward to the most and get out as much as possible.
For Copper, Opening Day is just the start of a long season of events to celebrate the ski resort’s 50th anniversary.
“We’re hosting more events this year than ever before,” Lyman said. “Almost every Friday, Saturday and Sunday we are going to have live music in the center of the village. We are having a big party for our 50th anniversary on December 3rd. We also have Snowsation, Sunsation, US Grand Prix and Dew Tour. All our big events are coming back.
Copper will host its first festival of the winter season — Snowsation — from Saturday, November 19 through Sunday, November 20. The festival will include live music, games and good times in the center of the village.
To purchase lift tickets or view the full schedule of events, visit CopperColorado.com.
]]>Snow is forecast for this weekend and for pretty much the next two weeks, which means your kids will want to get out and enjoy the snow.
The best part about living in Western New York is that there’s no shortage of places to enjoy winter. From skiing to snowboarding to hiking, if you want to get outside this winter, you can.
If you’re looking for some family fun, a day of sledding is always fond memories. Discover some of the best places to sled in Western New York.
In addition to beautiful scenery, Akron Falls Park offers areas for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, sledding and ice skating. For more information about the park, see Akron Falls Park
Beaver Island State Park, 2136 West Oakfield Rd., Grand Island, (716) 773-3271
Open from dawn to dusk, Beaver Island State Park offers sliding areas and trails for snowmobiling and snowshoeing.
Chestnut Ridge Park is arguably one of the best sledding spots in the area. This is the perfect place for sledding, sledding, snowboarding, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, hiking and snowmobiling all winter long! Check Chestnut Ridge Park
Lake Como Park offers toboggan runs, two ice rinks and cross-country ski trails.
Delaware Park in Buffalo offers sledding for kids of all ages. Shakespeare Hill is popular because it’s not a huge hill, so it’s easy for everyone to get up and down.
EXTRA: EXPERIENCE THE INCREDIBLE NIGHTTUBE IN WESTERN NYC
Ellicott Creek Park in North Tonawanda has a toboggan hill, places for cross-country skiing and accessible facilities.
Elma Meadows not only offers an impressive golf course for the summer, but also excellent hills for sledding, sledding, snowboarding and tubing, and groomed cross-country ski trails for sports enthusiasts of winter! Learn more about the Elma Meadows Golf Course and Park Page
Open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in winter, Fort Niagara State Park has places to go sledding as well as snowshoe and cross-country ski trails.
Genesee County Park and Forest includes two toboggan runs for sledding and trails for snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and snowmobiling.
Woodlawn Avenue goes straight down to 18 Mile Creek. Gunther’s Hill offers sledding for all ages.
Holiday Valley is the place to go for the ultimate tubing experience. The Holiday Valley website provides more information on group rates, what to wear and expect, and directions.
Reservoir State Park, Lewiston, (716) 297-4484 Reservoir State Park is located near the 190 to the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge. You can toboggan down the retaining wall surrounding the reservoir of the hydroelectric plant.
Here are the Top 5 Snowiest Days in New York State History.
Now is the time to plan for snow in Western New York. Check out Yelp’s top rated snow removal services in Western New York!
Buffalo is known for two things. Snow and Wings, but the city is full of amazing restaurants that offer more than just good wings and the Food Network knows it.
Looking for fresh and delicious seafood?
If you are in the Cincinnati area, you should visit these local restaurants.
If you’re looking for a great seafood restaurant with a casual atmosphere, you can’t go wrong with this place in Anderson Township. They are known for their delicious New England-style clam chowder; pan-fried crab cakes served with a chipotle tartar sauce; and some of the best fried calamari around (accompanied by a homemade marinara or sweet chili sauce). You also can’t go wrong with their fried coconut shrimp, blackened mahi fish tacos, and grilled stuffed grouper, which consists of two tender pieces of grouper stuffed with chunk crabmeat, wild rice and cornbread stuffing.
Pelican’s Reef is located at 7261 Beechmont Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45230.
This local favorite serves up delicious seafood. Guests love the Chilean sea bass, served with wild mushroom risotto, basil tomato relish and white wine butter; hand-caught diver’s scallops served with capellini d’Angelo, rainbow tomatoes, pesto and capers; and Alaskan halibut, served with saffron rice, Creole langoustines and grilled asparagus. They also have a sushi menu with classic rolls, special rolls, nigiri and sashimi. If you have room for dessert, try the espresso creme brulee or ice cream.
Oakley Fish House is located at 3036 Madison Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45209.
If you like a good seafood porridge, you should visit Mr. Crab House, which is located in the Pleasant Ridge area. Popular options include the Cajun Boil (half a pound of shrimp, half a pound of crawfish and half a pound of black mussels) and the Perfect Storm (half a pound of snow crab legs, a pound of prawns and a pound of black mussels). mussels). Seasoning options include Cajun, Old Bay (dry), Seasoned Garlic Butter, Lemon Pepper, Mr. Crab’s Special Mix, and Mr. Crab’s Creamy Mix. Spice levels include mild, medium, hot, and fiery.
Mr. Crab House is located at 3280 Highland Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45213.
]]>Dressed in a button-down chambray shirt and blue jeans and sporting a faint smile, Deirdra Walsh looks relaxed as she sits in a no-frills conference room on the second floor of a brick building in the Mountain Village at Park City Mountain Resort. After the late August sun has finished climbing the hills of the ski area, it peeks out the windows, casting the resort’s new vice president and chief operating officer in a warm glow.
It’s the calm before winter.
This ski and snowboard season, PCMR plans to implement some of its most controversial changes since 2015, when it took over operation of The Canyons and became the largest ski area in North America. While Walsh hasn’t kicked off many of the resort’s new policies for the 2022-23 season — like charging for daily parking at Mountain Village lots and capping lift ticket sales — it will be his work to inaugurate them.
Armed with her roots in the community and a history of sound-making, Walsh thinks she’s up for the challenge.
“I certainly did not come to the station unprepared for the challenges. And there were some things that were more surprising than others,” she said. “But that certainly doesn’t discourage me.
“For now, the only way is to move forward.”
When she officially stepped into her new role in May after having held the same position at Northstar Ski Resort in Lake Tahoe, Calif., since 2019, Walsh waded through the mud. Just two weeks after the 44-year-old took over the station’s reins from Mike Goar, the Park City Planning Commission voted to stop PCMR from upgrading two elevators – one of which was to be the first Vail Resorts eight-pack – after four Parkites raised concerns about overcrowding and the equation the resort uses to determine comfortable carrying capacity.
Walsh’s first official statements as head of the PCMR took the form of a reprimand.
“We are fundamentally concerned and confused that the city is blocking this important investment in customer experience at Park City Mountain,” she said in a statement prepared in June.
Vail Resorts, which counts PCMR among its 41 ski areas, has since filed an appeal in Summit County District Court. Meanwhile, he announced Wednesday that the elevators will be shipped to Canada for installation at Whistler Blackcomb, another Vail Resorts property, next year. If Park City gets approval to install elevators in 2023, it will have to order new ones.
The hubbub over the lifts revealed a long-standing breach of trust between community members and the resort.
This flaw can be fixed, Walsh said.
“I think,” she said, “there’s an opportunity to reset right now.”
Walsh said he received “a really warm welcome” from the Park City community. She attributes some of that to her history in the area. Originally from Missouri, she moved with her then-boyfriend, now husband, Rob to Park City in 2004. She learned to snowboard at Park City Mountain and got her first job there in the ski industry in 2007, when she was hired in conference. Sales.
Driven by the support of her female superiors throughout her career – she is one of three women currently running a Utah resort – the mother of two young children rose through the ranks to become director and then senior director of the mountain restaurant division. So when Park City Mountain was combined with The Canyons in 2015, it was up to her to merge their restaurant businesses.
“I think the actual resort integration was probably one of the hardest and most exciting things I’ve been involved in,” she said.
She started the conversation between the two groups by asking a question:
“What do we have in common? ” she says. “And if we can start there, then I know we can create something that feels true to being one team.”
His approach to leading PCMR is similar. She said she spent most of her first few months at the helm having coffee or lunch or the occasional glass of wine with elected officials, community members and other stakeholders. She used those conversations in part, she says, to find common ground.
Hopefully that’s solid ground too, as those relationships will likely be tested by the ticketing and parking policies that PCMR intends to institute this winter.
As part of a Vail Resorts-wide initiative, PCMR will cap online and walk-in lift ticket sales every day of the season, expanding on a pilot program last year that limited sales of tickets during the holidays. The hope is that the cap will prevent tracks and restaurants from becoming overcrowded – which was one of the main criticisms leveled at PCMR last year. Vail Resorts’ efforts to bolster the workforce, and therefore the amount of land and services it can offer, by adding employee housing and raising the minimum wage to $20/hour should also give more space for customers.
However, capping daily tickets has been criticized as a tactic employed by resorts to induce people to buy passes and commit to visiting a specific ski area early. Plus, it can be a point of frustration for locals when looking for last-minute tickets to take advantage of powder days that might otherwise be hidden on their passes or to entertain out-of-town visitors. . (PCMR said it would allow Epic Pass holders to purchase friend tickets even on limited days.)
“So you can never just decide to go on a trip…”, wrote a Twitter userresponding to an article about caps, “you have to be a super planner.”
A measurement team will determine when the cap should be used, Walsh said, using “lots of inputs.”
The ticket cap has received little attention, however, compared to the angst generated by the station’s new parking scheme.
From Dec. 12 through April 2, PCMR will require reservations and a $25 fee to park in its Mountain Village lots — Main, First Time and Silver King — daily between 8:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Carpoolers with four or more people in one vehicle can park for free but must still have a reservation. Parking outside these hours does not require a reservation and is free regardless of vehicle occupancy. Visitors can also park for free daily at The Canyons in the Convertible lot and on weekends and holidays at Park City High.
Its intention, in part, is to reduce traffic congestion around the main village and deter people from visiting the area if they don’t have a reservation, which should reduce vehicle parking in the neighborhoods. It’s also a way to get people to carpool or take the bus.
PCMR will be the first of three Park City resorts to charge for parking, but it’s a tool used by most Cottonwood Canyons resorts as well as Sundance Resort.
Some locals applauded the program and PCMR for making an effort to reduce traffic problems. For many Utah skiers and snowboarders, however, the parking policy comes across as a cash grab. And it hits especially hard following the Utah Transit Authority’s announcement Wednesday that it will cut bus service between Salt Lake City and Park City this winter.
(Once skiers and cyclists have arrived at Kimball Junction, however, they can hop on one of the High Valley Transit buses, which will run free routes to The Canyons and PCMR’s mountain village daily at 15-minute intervals, according to Summit County Planning Director Caroline Rodriguez.)
“Well since greed runs this resort they had to make up for skier limitation (sic),” one commenter wrote on a Tribune article advertising paid parking. “At $25 (sic) a car, they will make a big profit that they could have gotten for the skiers they turn down. Skiing is too expensive for most locals anyway. This resort is for foreigners willing to pay.
Walsh wants to change that perception.
Its overall goal is to make a resort that spans 7,300 acres, 43 lifts and 330 trails more intimate. Doing this will require more capital investment, although she did not specify where that investment is most needed, and attention to detail. The end result, she said, should be a memorable and enjoyable experience for visitors, no matter where they come from or how much they paid for a ticket.
“I try to think about the customer experience, and every person who gets on an elevator is a guest,” she said. “And I think all the tides come in together, so a better customer experience is a better customer experience, whoever it is.”
Winter promises to be harsh for Walsh, but she’s confident she can weather it with a good conversation…and good wine. And maybe as soon as next summer, she’ll be sitting and basking in a warm glow — one created by a closer bond between her resort and her community.
Editor’s note • This story is only available to Salt Lake Tribune subscribers. Please support local journalism.
]]>BRAINERD – Hail measuring up to an inch in diameter near Lake Shore and heavy rain accompanied a thunderstorm Saturday evening, September 17, as it moved through the Brainerd Lakes area.
Weather watchers offered several reports of hail in the area, much of it concentrated in the Nisswa/Pequot Lakes areas to the north. Localized rainfall totals ranging from 1.85 inches about 3 miles north of Pequot to 2.96 inches just north of Nisswa were also recorded, according to reports collected by the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network, or CoCoRaHS.
“We had showers and thunderstorms that developed west of the area towards Fergus Falls through the Bemidji area, and these moved east in the evening into the Brainerd Lakes area. “, said Kevin Huyck, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, during a telephone interview Sunday.
Large hail, damaging winds and a small chance of tornadoes are possible with any severe storms developing, the National Weather Service warned Friday afternoon.
“Some of these storms appeared to be capable of producing large hail, and there was potential for wind damage as well, so those were things we were paying close attention to as the storms developed. “, said Huyck on Sunday.
The Duluth National Weather Service issued six severe thunderstorm warnings, focusing primarily on the threat of hail and wind, leading to Saturday’s thunderstorms in the area.
“There was enough twist in the atmosphere where we were also concerned about tornadoes,” Huyck said. “And several of those storms, particularly in the Pequot and Brainerd lakes area in the southern part of Cass County, showed evidence of rotation on radar.”
Huyck said the National Weather Service in Duluth received a few reports and photographs of funnel clouds, but no reports of actual tornado touchdowns.
We are looking for storm reports from yesterday afternoon and storms from the evening, especially around Brainerd Lakes and near Lake Winnibigoshish areas. Have you noticed heavy hail or wind damage? If you have, please let us know! #mnwx pic.twitter.com/OcHkBUW6Qp
— NWS Duluth (@NWSduluth) September 18, 2022
Beyond the one-inch-diameter hail reported at 8:20 p.m. in Lake Shore, other observers reported 0.75-inch hail at Pequot Lakes and 0.25-inch hail at Breezy Point, Jenkins , Crosslake and near Swanburg following the storm.
“We have received no weather-related calls, no damage that we are aware of,” Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Sgt. Aaron Cronquist said Sunday. “I mean there are a few trees, but that’s normal, so no reports of damage or flooding from our end.”
According to the National Weather Service in Duluth, heavy rains over the past few days have caused river levels to rise, pools of water in low-lying areas and minor washouts.
“The fact that there were fewer storms meant that the risk of flash flooding ended up being lower than we expected, and so we didn’t hear any reports of flooding,” Huyck said. .
Huyck said he’s seen reports of rain accumulation ranging from 0.75 inches to 2 inches in some places since thunderstorms on Saturday.
“The most intense parts of the thunderstorms were relatively narrow, and so if a person was directly below one of these thunderstorms, they might see higher precipitation,” Huyck said. “But on the fringe, the storms weren’t as intense and the rainfall wasn’t as intense.”
Brainerd Lakes Regional Airport has so far recorded 0.97 inches of total rainfall accumulation for the month of September, which was just below the monthly normal of 1.5 inches.
“The severe thunderstorm warnings we issued last night (Saturday) which would have included the Pequot Lakes area mentioned a risk of hail of 1 inch to inch and a half or the size of a ping pong ball” , Huyck said.
Source: Community Collaboration Network on Rain, Hail and Snow.
FRANK LEE can be reached at 218-855-5863 or
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.
]]>Cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco are 10 to 20 degrees cooler than they were at the height of the heat wave, and this cooling trend is expected to continue through the weekend as a unusually strong storm settles over the state. So where does this system suddenly come from?
Typhoons are tropical cyclones that develop in the Western Pacific and have the same properties as hurricanes or any other tropical system that forms in the rest of the world.
There are three such typhoons circling off the coast of Japan. Even though it’s over 5,000 miles away from us, we’re likely to feel some residual impacts.
Typhoon Murbok is being pushed north by neighboring typhoons towards the jet stream. Weather models show that Murbok will eventually lose its typhoon status and its remnants will be absorbed by the jet, carrying its moisture to Alaska by Thursday and Friday.
Starting Saturday, the new storm will track south over the West Coast, where European, US and Canadian weather models expect the center of the system to be just off the Bay Area coast. There is a wide range of possible impacts from this storm depending on whether the center remains above water or a few inches above land.
European and US weather models have been back and forth on the timing of the first rain showers, but for now it looks like the first showers will arrive in Northern California around Saturday evening. Most of these initial showers will roll over the South Cascades and the Mendocino Coast before eventually rolling into the SF Peninsula, Sonoma Coast and Central Coast by Sunday morning.
Look for rainfall totals by the end of Sunday between a tenth of an inch and up to a third of an inch in the North Bay Highlands, Santa Cruz Mountains, SF Peninsula and Berkeley Hills, while some isolated northwest-facing areas on the coastline can see up to a fifth of an inch of rain. The Central Coast is also looking to get in on the action, with Monterey Bay predicting to see between a quarter inch and three quarter inch of rain. The Big Sur coast could see much higher totals of more than an inch if enough moisture enters the Santa Lucia Mountains on Sunday.
Showers are then expected to develop over the Sierra Nevada by Saturday afternoon, with some models even bringing rain showers to the Mosquito Wildfire perimeter. There’s a lot of spread here, which means some models expect up to four-tenths of an inch of rain, while others lean towards less than a tenth of an inch.
Strong westerly winds along the Sierra, colloquially called Zephyr winds, are also expected to pick up this weekend, so air quality impacts in the Reno and Tahoe metros cannot be ruled out. A few models even suggest that these strong winds could start as early as Saturday, before the rains arrive, which could fuel fire activity. These Zephyrs can pose problems for firefighting operations if rainfall accumulations remain below a tenth of an inch around Tahoe.
Assuming the drier scenario unfolds, the Tahoe National Forest could be looking at 24 hours of moderate to strong winds blowing at 35-45 mph before the rains move into the Sierra Nevada.
On the other hand, if a lot of rain falls over a short period of time, there is also a risk of landslides and debris flows, which are masses of loose mud, rocks and other material that move quickly over the side of a hill or mountain. Last month we saw debris flows over the Tamarack burn scar in the Sierra, and it was all thanks to the monsoon rains. The region quickly saw totals soar by as much as three-quarters of an inch in just a few hours.
Fortunately, an extreme end to the rain totals in the models seems increasingly unlikely, so for now the hope is that this storm is drawing in enough moisture to bring beneficial rains to the perimeter of the fire.
The rain will continue through Monday before eventually dying out in the Bay Area. But some showers are looking to hover over southern Tahoe Monday night and Tuesday morning. This is important because this storm system will bring a strong cold front to the Sierra Nevada between Sunday and Monday. And by Monday evening, the cold, drier air over the mountains is expected to drop below freezing.
So if enough residual moisture hangs around Monday night, residents above 3,000 to 4,000 feet can wake up to showers and even a few inches of snow on the ground. The area where the Mosquito fire is burning could also be dusted.
Overall, this appears to be a very unusual storm system with widespread impacts for California.
Gerry Díaz (he/they) is an editorial meteorologist for the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: [email protected] Twitter @geravitywave
Vietnamese cuisine with Midwestern hospitality is what Phong Nguyen, co-owner and executive chef of Vietnamese Monsoon Cuisine, cooks up at his brand new restaurant in downtown Grand Rapids.
“It’s always been my dream to open a Vietnamese restaurant,” Nguyen told Revue. When he arrived in America in 2012, he was inspired by the portrait of a Vietnamese woman that hung in a fine dining restaurant he walked into. “She wore Western clothes, but still had the Asian look. It was beautiful.”
This marriage of Vietnamese traditions and culture with the Midwest was at the forefront of Nguyen’s concept for his already thriving restaurant. After cooking at many well-known restaurants around Grand Rapids, the former business and marketing student teamed up with three investors to make his dream come true.
He hired a Vietnamese architectural firm to design the sleek and creative interior, which features a brand new bar, booths, rattan light fixtures and wall decorations from Vietnam.
Above the bar, a neon sign bears the name and logo of the restaurant, which was inspired by a metaphorical perspective on the harsh weather conditions it takes as its namesake.
“In Vietnam, when the monsoons come, it pours and floods everywhere,” Nguyen said. “It reminds me of the struggle we had during the difficult times of COVID.”
Despite production delays, location choices and other setbacks, Vietnamese monsoon cuisine has weathered the storm and emerged triumphant from the figurative pandemic “monsoon”.
“Fine and casual Vietnamese cuisine adds a lot of diversity to the city,” Nguyen said, noting that of the many burgers, tacos and other types of restaurants Grand Rapids is crammed with, fine Vietnamese cuisine is rare.
One of Nguyen’s main goals with his restaurant is how every aspect of the experience comes together, and no element is below average. One of the main ways he demonstrated was to tear down the walls that blocked the kitchen from the dining room.
“I’ve always liked an open kitchen, as I was a private chef,” Nguyen said. “People love the experience of having a chef to talk to and see how the food is prepared.”
While Monsoon’s chefs aren’t within speaking distance of the tables, the open kitchen allows diners to see the food and the process, while smells waft over the hungry, anticipatory tables. In the future, Nguyen hopes to develop multi-course meals to be enjoyed at the chef’s table, a high table that faces the kitchen.
Also visible in the open kitchen is the charcoal grill, which provides the signature Monsoon flavor not found in many restaurants in the area.
“In Vietnam, we use a lot of charcoal in the food we prepare on the street or at home,” Nguyen said. Because authentic flavors are so important, he said the grill craze was worth it, no doubt. “It’s a real flavor, you can’t change that.
When developing the menu, Nguyen was inspired by the most popular dishes he found during his career as a private chef. By adding new favorites on a grand scale and creating new ones, he has streamlined the menu to include the most authentic, highest quality dishes.
Food isn’t the only thing Nguyen cares about.
“Good food is always there, but equally important is the atmosphere and the servers,” he said. Nguyen has received great reviews from guests about the experience, from the staff to the atmosphere and design, as well as the food.
Just a few months into business, the reviews are great, the staff is well trained and the food is tasty. Only the drinks are left. For now, the drinks menu consists of tasty mocktails, matcha and teas. Once the long-awaited liquor license is cleared, Nguyen said he plans to have a full cocktail menu designed by one of his talented staff members and draft beers from Vietnam.
The progression into fall and winter also presents new opportunities for Nguyen. He said they were already experimenting with new dishes for a seasonal winter menu, focusing on warmer profiles like braised meats, dumplings and other belly-warming dishes.
Provided there are no more figurative monsoons sweeping the country, Vietnamese monsoon cuisine is making its presence known in Grand Rapids, bringing a new cultural dining experience to the scene, and is destined to become a staple of the city center in no time.
Vietnamese monsoon food
55 Monroe Street Center
monsoongr.com
Acquisition will fuel expansion of world leader in ski and snowboard rental
Today Alterra Mountain Company announced that it had acquired Ski Butlersa leading ski equipment rental and delivery service based in Utah. Ski Butlers will remain a stand-alone business with ongoing operations in 50 ski destinations around the world while retaining its current staff and leadership. The acquisition will provide resort guests with additional access to exceptional service and premier ski equipment at multiple Alterra Mountain Company destinations.
Led by Founder and CEO Bryn Carey since 2004, Ski Butlers has embraced his passion for the mountains and winter sports by providing award-winning service to skiers and snowboarders at resorts across North America and Europe. In an effort to provide customers with a seamless experience and more time to enjoy their vacation, Ski Butlers offers a simple booking system that results in delivery and collection of equipment on a date, time and accommodation selected by the customer. Plus, the service provides unparalleled customer service throughout the trip, including changing gear on the mountain in less than an hour, for any reason.
“The Ski Butlers team has set the standard for customer satisfaction in the ski industry. As we continue to invest in creating a top-notch customer experience in each of our destinations, the partnership with Ski Butlers is a natural addition.
– Jared Smith, President and CEO of Alterra Mountain Company
Currently, Ski Butlers is available at Alterra Mountain Company, Steamboat, Palisades Tahoe, and Deer Valley Resort destinations, as well as services in Lake Tahoe, Jackson Hole, Aspen Snowmass, Sun Valley, Big Sky, Copper, Telluride, Vail, Beaver Creek , Breckenridge, Keystone, Park City, Whistler-Blackcomb and throughout France and Italy. The company plans to expand operations to a number of North American destinations, beginning with Mammoth Mountain for winter 22/23.
“We’ve spent 18 years focusing on building a service-focused business that our customers absolutely love, and we’ve succeeded in doing so. We believe Alterra Mountain Company can help us grow this business to reach as many skiers and snowboarders as possible while staying true to our team ethos and the experience our customers expect.
– Bryn Carey, Founder and CEO of Ski Butlers
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